The Crash Site

[blindandlost]

It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter how you were travelling. All that matters is the Island, and the Island wants you. All are drawn to the same stretch of shoreline; your plane suddenly loses power and drops from the sky to crash into the sand. Your boat runs aground. Your helicopter plows a deep furrow until the blades tangle and catch in the thick growth of the jungle.

However it happened, now you're here. You belong to the Island. There might be something salvageable in the debris, but no matter what you find, no matter who is with you, one thing is certain:

You are lost.

Comments

[parasitus]

[On the sand sits a woman. She's a bit strange in countenance-- oddly-cropped hair, vivid red lips contrasting sharply against her dark skin, her clothing formal but marked with bold black-on-white stripes. Red blood stains her clothing in places, gashes inflicted during the crash of the jet that had been transporting her prior to its untimely demise, but she seems to have emerged without any major injuries.

Her lipstick is smudged, and, honestly, she looks like she's about ready to cry.


A gun sits beside her on the sand, a heavy revolver.


Well? Do you approach her?]

[awfulsentimetal]

[After rescuing the few he could, The Spine has taken to wandering up and down the beach. It isn't what he wants to do--what he wants to do is stick to his family and tend to Walter Girl B. He can't do anything for her, frustrating as it is, and he knows that his hovering would be useless.

So he wanders until he spots the dark woman sitting on the sand. The automaton pauses, noticing that she looks about ready to break. He also notices the gun. It's given a long stare, the automaton weighing the wisdom in approaching.

Compassion wins out. He decides to ignore the gun unless it becomes a problem, which he trusts it won't.]

Hey, there. Mind if I join you?

[parasitus]

[Wh--

She's not alone.

And when she sees who exactly is looking at her, she stares with round blue eyes for a moment before answering.]

N... no. No, not at all, I must say. In fact, I...

[She hugs herself.]

I do rather dislike being alone.

[awfulsentimetal]

I don't think many people'd disagree with you, Miss.

[The Spine likes his solitude, but there's a difference between solitude when your family is all around and being truly alone. He knows this, and his heart--or the code that makes him sometimes feel as though he might have one--goes out to her.

He hesitates for a moment before carefully lowering himself to a seat on the sand with a hiss of hydraulics and quiet clicking of gears.

Turning towards her, he holds out a gleaming silver hand.]

I'm called The Spine. What's your name?

[parasitus]

[She watches him as he moves, curious and confused... but when he offers his hand, she accepts it, marveling at how solid the metal is. He's real. A real... robot?]

Genie.

... may I ask you a bothersome question?

[awfulsentimetal]

No such thing as a bothersome question, Miss Genie. [The Spine smiles faintly. The smile isn't quite right, a mechanical approximation of a human expression. His mimicry isn't up to it's usual standard, his headwiring drifting elsewhere.] Shoot.

[parasitus]

[Unreal... but it's almost comedic to her that they would design a robot to be so handsome.

That's beside the point.]

May I ask you what, precisely, you are...?

[awfulsentimetal]

[It wasn't an unfamiliar question. In fact, it was one that he had fully expected to be asked eventually, and his smile briefly widens.

He's just happy to give her something to think about other than whatever had her on the brink of tears when he'd approached.]

I'm a robot. Or, well, an automaton if you wanna be exact. There's not much of a difference to most people's thinkin'.

[parasitus]

An automaton... how terribly fascinating. May I ask how such a no-doubt valuable creature such as yourself came to be here?

[awfulsentimetal]

[Uh...]

I dunno about "valuable". [Not here, anyway, or so he suspects. A plane crashing anywhere near civilization is usually cause for alarm, and no one has come to investigate yet.] But to answer your question, I got here the same way that did.

[He twists to point at the wreckage down the beach.]

I'm guessin' your story is about the same.

[parasitus]

...

[Her momentary flicker of something approaching cheer fades at that. She glances over to a pile of wreckage within walking distance of them, the remains of what seems to've been a jet built for transporting only a handful of people.]

I was in the process of relocation due to my, uh... job. But, as you can no doubt see, we didn't quite make it to our destination.

[awfulsentimetal]

... Yeah. [The Spine follows her gaze to the wreckage.] Yeah, I kinda guessed. Did anyone else, uhm... y'know. Make it?

[parasitus]

...

... no. I... suppose I was very fortunate. If that is how one would interpret such a fate.

[missfunction]

[Can't leave a lady crying all on her lonesome, right?

Though there was the usual whirrrs and clicks and deep hum of her mechanical form, Rabbit's steps in the sand were not nearly as usually clunky and loud to give away her position, so the female automaton's approach may have been something of a surprise until she finally spoke, stepping up beside the stranger, peering sideways at her.]

Hey, ya d-d-doin' okay, lady? Ya look a l-little roughed up. Need a b-band-aid or somethin'?

[Despite the fact they were complete strangers who clearly couldn't have known about one another's existence until this point, there was some geuiune concern burning in those glowing optics, the copper 'bot's mouth twitching downwards as she stared.] Maybe s-some water?

[parasitus]

[What...

... what is that?

The form was human enough on a whole-- the right number of limbs and all-- and yet...

But she doesn't make for her weapon.

A band-aid? ... she seems to snap out of it and glances down at herself. Nearly laughing, she wipes her eyes.]

I do suppose I must be quite the sight. Though I'm uncertain of how much good a band-aid could do for me, or, indeed, any amount of medical attention at all. I seem to have lost something far more valuable than my health.

[missfunction]

[The way she speaks is honestly somewhat confusing to the automaton—does she need medical help or not?? Humans were so weird—but Rabbit manages to remain where she stood beside the stranger, fingers twitching twice before she shifts with a soft whiiirr of gears and creak of joints into a kneel, the sharp toe of her boot pointing out towards the sea.]

Ya don’t look so bad! Walter knows I ain’t quite as p-p-put together as I’d like t’ be—[mismatched optics flicker down to her white gloves and the blood that now stained them. Rabbit’s mouth curls downwards at the sight.] —But I’d s-s-say we look pretty g-good for cute ladies stranded on a deserted island!

…Oh? [Her head clicks back to the woman, regarding her with a unreadable expression, optics glowing softly.] Ya l-lost somethin’ important? Yer WiFi password?

[parasitus]

[nah that's just how Genie is honey, sorry

She smiles sadly up at Rabbit.]

My companions.

[missfunction]

Oh. [Her whole posture drooped, including those cords hanging from her head.] S-s-sorry. Did they--... [Another twitch, the 'bot shifting her gaze back towards the rest of the beach, where so many bodies still laid.]

[parasitus]

It seems I was the only survivor.

[missfunction]

[EEEEEEH this just turned 500% more awkward for the 'bot, her boot kicking out at the sand idly.]

Gee. That's r-real sad. [a pause, still awkward] Didja....Didja already b-b-bury 'em? Do ya need any help?

[parasitus]

I'm not certain it would be right of me. They were no real family or friends of mine-- I don't have a family, really. They were simply hired to transport me to a job.

[missfunction]

B-b-but they probably ain't got anyone else here t' do th' job, huh? [Lips parting to allow a cloud of steam to puff into the air.] Someone's g-g-g-gotta do it.

[The sad truth, of course, but Rabbit had seen enough dead bodies in the past, bodies who hadn't had any family or friends around to claim them, who had still needed to be buried.]

[parasitus]

... you're right.

[Genie stands, dusting the sand off of her clothing, careful to avoid the cuts and bruises she gained during the crash.]

... isn't it funny, how arbitrarily humans as a species assign sentimentality to actions? Burying a body... a strange action that only we have imbued with such honor.

[A humorless laugh of sorts, and she turns her gaze to look to the wreckage.]

Well, not all of us, I suppose. Did you know that there are cultures in which bodies are left out for the birds and other animals to feed on?

[missfunction]

[Rabbit does not like the turn this conversation has taken.

As Genie stands, the copper automaton quickly follows with the usual noises of her mechanical form, but the line of her lips presses together firmly, blue and green gaze following after the woman intently. Something is prickling at her senses, but the 'bot can't quite distinguish what.]

It ain't s-s-strange. It's j-just th' r-right-t-t thing t' do! Ya can't l-leave yer loved ones out just l-layin' 'round. It's disrespectful. [And also, clearly unsanitary.]

[parasitus]

Oh, why, yes, of course, in our culture, it's considered quite unthinkable to leave a body unattended to, out in the open air. I was merely making an observation.